Trade and environmental diplomacy

In modern diplomacy diplomats have to pursue also commercial interests of their country.

Therefore diplomacy contain collaboration with international institutions, such as WTO, GATT, and there is increasing role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Barston argues: “Trade has traditional been a concern of diplomacy. Trade interests and trade policies are generally part of the central preoccupations of most states.  Ideally, trade policy and foreign policy should support each other.

Trade interests may be acquired for a number of reasons, such as long-standing commercial links, entrepreneurial exploitation of overseas markets or successful domestic lobbying, as in the case of European, Japanese or US farming interests.

In international trade the classical functions of diplomacy are in four areas:

-         multilateral rule making or rule changing

-         the creation of a favourable political setting or legal framework at a regional level

-         resolution of disputes

-         the creation of innovatory agreements.

The setting for international trade diplomacy is distinguished by the post-war growth in the number of multilateral institutions with a direct or indirect responsibility for trade (e.g. GATT/WTO, UNCTAD, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), IFC and International Labour Organisation (ILO)” (Barston, 2006, 134-135).

Trade diplomacy now involves domestic and international bargaining. Next agenda of Trade diplomacy are negotiations about reducing taxes, non-tariff barriers etc.

The example of involvement diplomacy in trade negotiation was in the Doha (in Qatar) ministerial round in November 2001, although there was reduced NGOs access.

Barston points out: “Trade negotiations at Doha involved 21 agenda areas, including carry-over issues from Uruguay Round and core traditional issues as industrial tariffs, market access, agriculture, trade in services, TRIPS etc.” (Barston, 2006, 140).

It can be concluded that trade issues play an important role in a modern diplomacy. For example, the Prime Minister David Cameron appointed successful businessmen as diplomats.

The development of science and industry is important for development of economy and society. However, there are also negative impacts on our planet.

Mankind make mile steps. For example, when a former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was born, people travelled on horses or walked. Since his death globalization, science and industry changed our lives even more. People produce enormous amount of CO₂ emissions, there are problems with waste, waste water etc.

Enormous production of Carbon dioxide makes holes in ozone layout of the planet. Consequently, it melts icebergs on both poles, rise sea levels and it makes also health problems. For example, people in Australia have increase of skin cancer.

Barston argues: “ Major incidents such as Chernobyl and Exon Valdez have the effect of dramatising a problem, galvanising non-governmental groups and influencing calls for the revision of international codes and rules.

Environmental diplomacy has involved an increasingly wide range of actors, including new intergovernmental organisations, UN and other international institutions, secretariats, elected conference officials, NGOs, as well as states.

The UN Conference on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks is a classic example of a modern chair-led multilateral negotiation. The complex nature of the conference was underlined by the extensive range of interests: distant water fishing, coastal reformist, flag-registering countries, developing coastal states, newly industrialised import or transit states, FAO, intergovernmental fisheries organisations (e.g. International Commission on North Atlantic Tuna) and a variety of NGOs” (Barston, 2006, 151- 179).

To sum up, Environmental diplomacy has involved an increasingly wide range of actors, including new intergovernmental organisations, UN and other international institutions, secretariats, elected conference officials, NGOs, as well as states. The role of NGOs in international negotiations is increasing because they have expertise, access through resources and networks, such as CAN.

References:

Barston,R.P. (2006). Modern Diplomacy, 3^rd edition, Pearson Education Limited, Harlow